To Pimp a Butterfly

Before Kendrick had even experienced fame for himself, Buried Alive proved incredibly prophetic, anticipating the conflict that would define much of his post-fame career.

After Good Kid, Mad City made him a star, To Pimp a Butterfly and Damn detailed his struggles with fame, temptation, and repeatedly giving in to his vices.

Then on Mr.

Morale, Kendrick finally revealed the extent of that struggle, including years of a self-described sex addiction.

Now, Nostalgia also capped off an incredible feature run in 2013, one that further cemented Kendrick as one of the biggest names in hip-hop.

But around this same period, his features also became a way for Kendrick to introduce himself to audiences outside of rap.

Especially in the years surrounding To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick started appearing on some pretty unexpected records, often alongside artists you'd never associate with him today.

For example, here's Kendrick on blues artist ZZ Ward's track Cryin' Wolf.

So while you're speaking, it made me think of two things.

One is there was a podcast called Dissect where this guy did, he does multiple things, but he dissected Kendrick Lamar's album, To Pimp a Butterfly.

And I remember I heard that album and I liked two songs on it.

I liked the song called I, and I liked the song called King Kunta.

Anyway, it is Thundercat's birthday today.

He's also known for his work on Flying Lotus, his appearance on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album, To Pimp a Butterfly.

He won a Grammy for the best rap-sung performance for the work track These Walls from that.

And he also had an It Is What It Is, Another release from him that earned him another Grammy Award.